This invention relates to air conditioners known as heat pumps: and, more particularly, to a reverse air cycle air conditioner that may be used for cooling or heating by redirecting air distribution.
There are two common types of heat pumps, or air conditioners that are used for heating as well as cooling. One type of heat pump reverses the refrigerant flow, thus the functions of the evaporator and condenser interchange. This type has disadvantages; including the use of a relatively expensive reversing valve, and other components necessary to allow the interchange of heat exchangers that may be costly to replace and maintain.
Another type of heat pump utilizes unidirection refrigerant flow wherein the condenser and evaporator retain their functions, but the air directed across them is redirected for different operations. While the heat pump is operating in the cooling mode, outdoor air is passed in heat exchange relationship with the condenser for liquefying the refrigerant and outside again; and indoor air is passed in heat exchange relationship with the evaporator for cooling the air circulated again. Conversely, in the heating mode, outdoor air passes in heat exchange relationship with the evaporator for vaporizing the refrigerant, then outside again; and indoor air is passed in heat exchange relationship with the condenser for heating the air and circulated again.
One prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,657--Atchison, assigned to General Electric Company, the assignee of the present invention, discloses the latter type heat pump wherein the air conditioning unit includes a plurality of air controlling valves each of which is associated with an opposed inlet and outlet opening of the unit that permit selective control of the air flowing into and discharging from the unit in order to direct air either from the outside or from within the enclosure over either of the heat exchangers disposed within separate compartments of the unit.
Another prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,446, discloses a unit having a rotatable damper that can mutually and exclusively place the condenser and evaporator in the desired degree of communication with the outdoor or the indoor.